By 2007 CONSOL Energy says the Shoemaker mine, in Marshall County, is expected to shut down. The company is also hopeful they could keep the coal mine open.

CONSOL Energy owns shoemaker mine. According to a CONSOL Energy spokesman, Thomas Hoffman, the mine is need of new technology that would take a large investment. The company spokesman says with the current price of coal they can not afford to upgrade the equipment.

The Shoemaker mine is the only CONSOL Energy mine using underground hauling while the rest operate with a conveyer belt. Hoffman says consol energy is hoping to sell contracts at higher prices and possibly make the needed upgrades.

"It's dependent upon us finding cal contracts with customers that are for a long enough duration and at a high enough price that we can justify a major investment of say $100 million in a conveyer belt system, said Hoffman.

The company is stopping the development of new areas for mining and will fulfill the contracts already started.

A letter given to the union says CONSOL Energy expects the layoff is temporary but at the same time the company is moving forward with plans to shut down the mine by 2007.

Barbara Anderson, News9